I was leaving the office one afternoon and planning to head home for a quick bite, when I spotted an elderly man standing at the corner of San Marino Drive and Lake San Marcos. He had a walker in front of him and his thumb stuck out like a hitchhiker from another era. Something in me said, turn around.
I made a U-turn, pulled over, and called out, asking if he was alright. He told me he was trying to get to the 99-cent store, about a mile and a half away. My first thought was that he might need food, so I decided to help.
I got him onto the curb parked my car, and spent about 15 minutes carefully wiping down the seats, handles, and dashboard with disinfectant wipes. I slipped on gloves, a mask, and handed him some sanitizer before helping him into the car.
As we drove, I asked a few questions.
“How old are you?”
“Ninety three,” he said, his voice steady.
“What’s your name?”
“Mike.”
“And your wife?”
“Doris. She’s ninety four.”
“Does she know you’re gone?” I asked, grinning.
“Nope,” he chuckled. “She probably hasn’t even started looking for me yet.”
Finally, I asked why we were going to the store. His answer caught me off guard.
“My wife and I share a Hershey’s chocolate bar every night,” he said matter-of-factly. “We’re out, so I need to buy thirty-five of them.”
It was such a pure, simple mission love wrapped in foil.
We got to the store, picked up exactly thirty-five chocolate bars, and headed back to his home. As I walked him to the door, I asked what he would tell Doris about how the chocolate appeared.
“I’ll tell her I met a nice real estate guy who gave me a ride,” he said with a wink.
I handed him my card before I left. “Next time you need chocolate,” I told him, “don’t hitchhike. Just call me. And I’d like to meet Doris one day.”
Driving away, I couldn’t stop smiling. In a world full of noise and hurry, here was a ninety three year old man whose biggest concern was keeping his nightly chocolate ritual with the woman he’d loved for decades. It reminded me that sometimes the smallest acts as a ride to the store, a shared candy bar carry the deepest sweetness.
